American Warrior No. 2

Artist Fritz Scholder (La Jolla Band, Luiseno, 1937 - 2005)

Printer Tamarind Institute (American, 1960-)

Date1981

Mediumlithograph

Dimensionsimage (flush): 30 in. × 21 7/8 in. (76.2 × 55.6 cm)

Credit LineGift of Ellen Ashby

Label TextConsidered one of the most influential Indigenous artists of the twentieth century, Fritz Scholder challenged romanticized and stereotypical representations of Indigenous peoples. Working across painting and printmaking, Scholder combined bold colors and expressive brushwork, blending figuration, abstraction, and Pop Art, creating intriguing images that defy easy interpretation. American Warrior No. 2 is one of several Tamarind Institute print collaborations the artist created over a 14-year partnership. In this work, the artist presents a figure whose identity and circumstances are uncertain. Dynamic lines sweep in from the top left and right. Combined with the expressive form at the composition’s center, the image is infused with tension. Rather than presenting a singular interpretation, viewers are left to question who and what is being depicted. Scholder’s American Warrior No. 2 demonstrates his commitment to disrupting representations of Indigenous people while encouraging conversations about identity, memory, and American and Indigenous history and culture. [Label Text: For the People: America at 250 Exhibition, June 27 - October 4, 2026]

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